This deal with Bowe allows Chiefs to tag OL Branden Albert.

They also reached an agreement with P Dustin Colquitt. He is now the highest-paid punter in the NFL. The agreement is a 5-yr, $18.75 million deal, including $8.9 million guaranteed.

The contract extension lowers his average base salary and saves the Patriots $15 million in cap space. His old deal was scheduled to pay him $9.75 million in base salary for each of the next two seasons. This reduction allows the Patriots to go after other free agents this off-season.

Although his base salary has decreased, Brady is now under contract for five seasons with $57 million guaranteed, instead of $30 million guaranteed over two seasons.

Brady’s salary cap charges are now:

2013: $13.8 million

2014: $14.8 million

2015: $13 million

2016: $14 million

2017: $15 million

At age 35, Brady has not skipped a beat. He threw for 4,827 yards, 34 touchdowns and just eight interceptions last season, while taking his team to the AFC Championship game.

Brady is now under contract with New England through the 2017 season, which is after his 40th birthday.  It is safe to say that Tom Brady will be a New England Patriot for life. 

Maysonet thinks he is a running back with a style like former Giant Ahmad Bradshaw, saying: “He’s tough. He never wants to go down, like me.”

The play that defined Maysonet’s college career was a 71-yard touchdown in which he high-hurdled a defender. After that play, many teams sent scouts to Stony Brook in the fall to watch practice and to study him on tape.

If drafted, he would become the first player in school history to be drafted by the NFL.

Diehl will not be allowed to drive or apply for a driver’s license in New Jersey, where he lives, for over a six-month period and will have to wear a SCRAM bracelet for 90 days. The NFL could fine Diehl for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

He stated this after the arrest last summer:

“I have been here for 10 years and throughout those 10 years I have always tried to carry myself and be a positive role model for people on and off the field. I apologize to my teammates, I apologize to my family, the New York Giants, all my fans and to anybody who has supported me throughout these years. I am going to make sure that I learn from this, and it is a mistake that I guarantee will never, ever happen again. I will help other people to make sure that they don’t make the same decision that I made in this circumstance. I will become a stronger person because of this.”

With No. 1 Robert Nkemdiche and No. 5 Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss is 1st school with 2 players from ESPN 150 Top 5 since 2010.

“I think I’m the greatest receiver to ever do it. Because I think back when Jerry was playing — and no disrespect to Jerry Rice, because he’s arguably the greatest — but for me to be able to go out here and change and revolutionize the game from a single safety to a Cover 2 safety and dropping three guys deep and dropping four guys deep and still be able to make it happen? That is why I really hold my hat on that, that I really feel in my heart and in my mind that I am the greatest receiver to ever play this game.”

“It’s definitely all about him. Once a guy goes to the center of the field, goes into the victory formation on the last play of his last home game … I just don’t think the Giants or any organization I’ve ever been a part of, even growing up, would allow somebody to single themselves out like that.

“If you single yourself out after you make a play, that’s one thing. But to walk out on the field reminds me of the WWE, like The Rock coming out. You’re becoming a caricature of yourself. It’s exhausting. I don’t know why somebody would want that.”

He then went onto give his opinion on Lewis’ alleged PED usage that has been a hot topic since media day:

“If you want to say you’re Mr. Religious and all of that, have a clean record. Don’t say all of that stuff if you know there’s stuff that might come back. Those are the things that, when I look at him, I just think hypocrisy.”

Lewis has been a big headline this postseason and Toomer clearly has some strong feelings towards him. It is likely Toomer is bitter toward Lewis because Lewis’ Ravens gave Toomer and the Giants a brutal beat down in the 2001 Super Bowl. Nevertheless, he gave some good points on linebackers most recent drama.

Tom Brady has not missed a beat in the regular season but the postseason has not been so kind. Brady is 7-7 in his last 14 postseason games; he was 10-0 in his first 10 postseason games. His supporting cast also seems to not bring it in the postseason like they do in the regular season.

The recent Patriot teams do not have that attitude the team once had in the early 2000s that won the Super Bowl 3 times in 4 years. The comments that Tom Brady’s wife made after the Super Bowl last year were pretty accurate, Brady can’t throw the ball and catch it too.

Nevertheless, Brady did not command the second half of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Brady was a perfect 67-0 in his career when leading at halftime at home. Each time they had the ball, you were expecting a takeover, but it never happened. Tom Brady had his worst 2nd-half QBR (22.6) in last 4 postseasons on Sunday against Baltimore. New England is 0-4 when Brady’s 2nd-half QBR is less than 50 in that span.

Not taking away anything from the Ravens, they certainly outplayed the Patriots in the second half. The defense, led by Ray Lewis, did not budge and gave up 0 points. Joe Flacco stepped up and threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Ravens improved to 13-7 all-time in the playoffs, the best postseason record in NFL history. This team is showing the same unity that last year’s New York Giants team had in their late run to a Super Bowl Championship.

After firing Andy Reid immediately after the regular season came to an end, the Eagles have been on a search for a new head coach and now they have found a good fit.

Kelly was rumored to be staying with Oregon but there was no official announcement made by the school.

After being interviewed by the Eagles, the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns, he made the decision to leave Oregon and make Philadelphia his new home.

In four years at Oregon, Kelly went 46-7, including a 12-1 record this past season. He brought Oregon to four straight BCS bowl games and won three Pac-12 championships.

This is a refreshing change for an Eagles franchise that has been in complete disarray for the past few years.

Coming off a huge win against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens look to face a familiar opponent in the New England Patriots this coming Sunday in the AFC Championship game.

The Patriots won with ease this past Sunday against the Houston Texans with Tom Brady once again showing why he is the best quarterback of our generation. That was Brady’s 17^th postseason win, the most ever by any quarterback in NFL history.

This will be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, the first time that has happened since the Broncos faced the Browns in 1987.

The Ravens beat the Patriots in Week 3 of the season but still have a chip on their shoulder from last year’s AFC Championship game.

The Ravens had many chances to win that game last year; including a potential game-winning touchdown catch that was knocked from the hands of wide receiver Lee Evans and also Billy Cundiff missing a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining that could have sent the game into overtime.

With that being said, the Patriots are hungry and also have a chip on their shoulder from losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants….again.

Ray Lewis has this Ravens team extremely energized with this being his “last ride”. They are playing their hearts out and have some sort of aura surrounding them.

The Patriots, on the other hand, suffered a huge loss on Sunday with tight end Rob Gronkowski re-injuring his forearm. Gronkowski has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs.

Even with that injury, some believe the Patriots are still the better team. However, the way this Ravens team is playing as of late, they could beat anyone.

It looks like the Ravens are getting real hot at the right time, similar to the Giants teams of recent past. Let’s see if Ray has enough motivation to will his team to the Super Bowl.

He was not suspended for the hit but was charged with striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area.

This was not Reeds first fine this season. In November, he was suspended one game for his hard hit against the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. It was later overturned by the league into a $50,000 fine.

Luckily, Victor Cruz was not hurt by the big hit on Sunday.

Years ago, our very own Eli Manning, did not get off to the best start to his career. In fact, in his first four seasons he had similar numbers to Mark Sanchez’s career (four seasons).

Sanchez has passed for 11,887 with 68 touchdowns and 68 interceptions and helped the Jets reach the AFC Championship game in his first two seasons as a pro. In Eli’s first four seasons, he passed for less yards, 11,385, but threw for a better touchdown/interception ratio with 77/64. Even though Eli has always seemed to have a more promising career since he was drafted, he had his Sanchez moments in his early years.

As faith would have it, Eli went on to win the Super Bowl at the end of his fourth season and has showed no signs of slowing down ever since. He has greatly progressed and has truly become an elite quarterback when he won his second Super Bowl ring. Since 2010, it seems as though Sanchez has regressed mightily.

I am in no way saying that Sanchez could ever amount to what Eli has become, but stranger things have happened. If I were the Jets, I would let him finish the season out and give him one more shot at leading this team next year. If he is used properly and has the help of a surrounding cast, he could be extremely valuable. If they let him go, they may regret not giving him that last chance. After all, one man’s trash could become another man’s gold.

Mendenhall did not show up to Heinz Field on Sunday after the Steelers had announced he would not be dressing for the game.

The Steelers lost the game to the San Diego Chargers and dropped to a 7-6 record on the season.

Mendenhall has not played a part in this Steelers offense this year due to being plagued by injuries. He has been their leading rusher the past three seasons but this year he has only played four games. The team has been carried by Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, and rookie Chris Rainey.

Mendenhall is an unrestricted free agent after this season and this mishap does not seem like it will help his chances to stay in Pittsburgh.

Luckily, the Seattle Seahawks released Braylon Edwards Monday from the injury-reserve list.

Edwards played for the Jets in 2009 and 2010 and emerged as one of Mark Sanchez’s favorite targets. He caught 88 passes for 1,445 yards and 11 touchdowns in those two seasons with the Jets.

Seeing that the Seahawks released Edwards, the Jets desperately signed him in hopes that he could be a spark plug in a playoff run for the Jets. This comes weeks after Edwards called the Jets front office a bunch of “idiots”. Desperation is an understatement.

With the Jets remaining schedule being very weak, let’s see if Edwards can help this team or just add to the circus it has become.

Question: I know you attended Notre Dame. How excited are you that they are in the BCS Title game this year?

Bavaro: “I’m very excited and surprised that they could be this good, this quick. As an alumni, I am very happy for them.”

Question: Was it weird to make the transition from playing for the New York Giants to playing for the Philadelphia Eagles later in your career?

Bavaro: “Well, I took the year off after the Super Bowl season of 1990. I played for the Browns before I landed in Philadelphia. So by the time I got there, the animosity was out of my system. But it was a little strange going back to Giants Stadium to play the Giants in an Eagles jersey. But, the NFL is a business and you get over that quick enough when the paycheck comes in and you realize who’s paying you.”

Question: What is your proudest moment in football?

Bavaro: “I don’t have one specific moment, but as you get older you look back and the highlight of any ones career would be winning a championship. So, I would say the Super Bowl winning seasons in 86’ and 90’, they were great years.”

Question: Do you plan to release another book in the future?

Bavaro: “I have no plans, but writing is my hobby so you never know if i’m going to write something people will want to buy. So… I’m not saying yes and I’m not saying no, we’ll see what happens.”

Question: Do you prefer the old Giants stadium or MetLife stadium?

Bavaro: “I definitely prefer the old Giants stadium. It is special to me and I miss it.”

Question: I was at Metlife stadium when the Giants unveiled their own Ring of Honor. How did it feel to be a part of that ceremony?

Bavaro: “That was special. It was an honor to go up there with all those great names. I loved it for myself, but I do think a lot more of my teammates from the 86’ and 90’ teams should have been acknowledged there as well. But… I’m sure in time those guys will get recognized.”

Question: If you could be any athlete in football this day and age, who would you choose?

Bavaro: “I’ve always liked Jason Witten, he’s been the best tight end for quite some time.  Rob Gronkowski is coming up strong though. But nowadays, there are so many great tight ends, almost every team has one and that certainly wasn’t the case years ago. Now people realize how important a tight end is to a team whether it is for receiving or blocking or both. There were not a lot of all-around tight ends when I played. As a former tight end, it is really nice to see that position gain some prominence.”

Question: What’s your prediction on tonight’s Giants game when they go up against RGIII and the Redskins?

Bavaro: “I think the Giants will win, they are a great team. RGIII is a great quarterback. He is just an outstanding athlete all around. His only flaw is that he’s young, so hopefully the Giants defense can take advantage of that and rattle him. But, if RGIII gets comfortable, they are in for a long night.”

*I would like to thank Mark Bavaro for taking his time out to give his professional insight.

Question: What was it like being coached by two of the best in Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick?

Carson: ”It was good, maybe you should ask them how it was to coach guys like me and Lawrence Taylor”, he said jokingly. “No, but they were great coaches and taught me a lot. They really made me become a better player and helped me realize a championship.”

I also mentioned to him that Bill Belichick referred to him as the best linebacker he has ever coached. His response was “Well I’d have to agree with him on that, I’m a little biased.”

Question: What was it like being a member of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew defense in the 1980s?

Carson: ”We had a great group of guys. As a captain, the guys really did everything the coaches and I asked of them. We had a lot of fun playing the game during those years.”

Question: I was at Metlife stadium when the Giants unveiled their own Ring of Honor. How did it feel to be a part of that ceremony? 

Carson: ”It was great. When you play the game for a team like the Giants, there is a lot of history and tradition. It’s an honor to be the first class that they inducted.”

Question: What was your proudest moment throughout your NFL career?

Carson: ”The Super Bowl in 1986 when I went out as the lone captain for the coin toss.”

Question: What was it like to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Carson: ”It was an honor to represent the Giants and my teammates in the Hall of Fame. It really meant a lot to me.”

Question: Would you be able to tell us about your role with the retired NFL players?

Carson: ”I’ve tried to be an advocate on behalf of those retired players that really don’t have a voice, like I was as captain of the Giants.”

Question: If you could be any athlete in football this day and age, who would you choose?

Carson: ”There are a number of great players in the league. If I had to pick one, it would be Patrick Willis on the San Francisco 49ers. He is a very active inside linebacker, which I admire.”

Question: What do you think of the Giants opposing quarterback tonight, Robert Griffin III?

Carson: ”RGIII is a super athlete. He is the most athletic quarterback I have ever seen, period. He has 4-3 speed, just the complete package. He is the key for the Redskins to get to the next level.”

*I would like to thank Harry Carson for taking his time out to give his professional insight.

Cam Newton has been struggling in his second year as a pro, but looked like his old self again, against a beaten up Eagles team. He threw 18 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Newton also rushed for two touchdowns with a total of 52 yards. A nice night for his fantasy owners.

The 49ers acquired ex-Giants, Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs, after they had great success with big blue for many years. At the time, it seemed like a big loss for the Giants, but was expected after Manningham’s “Tyree-like” performance in the Super Bowl. So far this season, it is looking more like a blessing than a curse. The Giants have not missed them one bit with Rueben Randle and Andre Brown stepping up to fill the holes left.

Last night was Jacobs’ first game active this season, having one carry for one yard. Manningham, who was thought to become a huge part of the Niners offense, has only one touchdown this season through twelve weeks. He is averaging just 11.4 receiving yards a game.

There are still a few weeks to go in the regular season, but if San Francisco was smart, they would start using these players more often during their playoff run like the Giants did. Let’s hope that letting these players go will not haunt the Giants in the playoffs.

This is a huge opportunity for rookie running back, David Wilson. He will now be sharing the load with Ahmad Bradshaw. If Wilson could step up now, he could be a huge part of a Giants playoff run to repeating as Super Bowl Champs.

After the beat down in Cincinnati, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles faced each other in an NFC East showdown to see who could gain some ground on the Giants.

The Cowboy’s defense knocked Michael Vick out of the game early. He left the game in the second quarter due to a concussion. Rookie Nick Foles filled in for Vick but could not rally the Eagles in the second half. The Cowboys won 38-23.

Although Romo has a great record in November, he is terrible in the months that count. He is 10-17 in December/January games when the Giants seem to always get hot during those same months. Coincidence? I think not.